back on the horse + digital scrapbooking

When I don't blog for a long time, I find it very difficult to start again. I eventually want to print my blog in book format and I don't want so many gaps. I want many of the the funny and mundane everyday stuff that fills my head and heart included. So I feel compelled to fill in the gaps, at least with overviews, but then more things happen that I want to write about, so I just get overwhelmed and concentrate on other things.

Apart from washing, cooking, running errands, and playing with my curious little toddler, what might those other things be?

Well, lately it's been digital scrapping. I never thought I would like it. I love Photoshop and manipulating my photos, and incorporating a little bit of digital into my paper scrapping (for those of you not into scrapbooking, that's called hybrid scrapping), but I like the hands on stuff way too much. The playing, moving stuff around, getting dirty, hoarding new supplies. I just love it. I also like the dimension of a paper layout, and you can use all the drop shadows you want, but that same look just can't be achieved digitally. Plus I don't have a large format printer, so that limits my at-home printing to 8x8 or 8.5x11 sizes.

With that said, digital scrapping has quite a few pros though too. Case in point... Right now I'm doing it outside while listening to tuis and watching my truck-loving toddler play with his little "deeger".

Other advantages:

• It doesn't make a mess.
• It's easy to start and stop, making it ideal to work around naps and chores.
• You can do it in bed on a cold night. (But be careful not to leave your laptop open on your bed when little furry creatures are bustling about or you might just lose your F6 button. What's the F6 button for anyway?)
• You can do it while watching a movie with your husband (But be aware that once engrossed in a page, it's hard to concentrate on the movie and I don't know too many men who are big on questions during crime thrillers.)
• It's fun and challenging to learn new things in Photoshop.
• Hoarding isn't just limited to paper scrapping afterall.
• It's quick, especially when you use a lot of pre-made elements.

I have no intention of giving up paper scrapping. I plan to just do a mixture as it suits my lifestyle. The important thing for me is that I tell the stories I want to tell and that I get energized creatively.

So here is my first digital layout (made in July using various papers and an Ali Edwards template from Designer Digitals)...

(I hand wrote some details on the tags after printing.)